Written ~ 06-13-2024
Read Acts Chapter Nine
Acts 9
In Acts chapter 8 we were introduced to Saul, his sole agenda was to persecute the church by dragging believers from their homes and putting both men and women in prison. After this began, the believers scattered, Saul probably thought his idea had worked and the population of believers would be eradicated. But that’s not what happened at all! As the believers scattered, so did the message of Jesus Christ, word got out more quickly than ever before and new believers were popping up everywhere. The very first sentence of chapter nine shows us Saul’s state of mind…
Act 9:1a…
“Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers.”
In chapter 8 verse 3 it says… “Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.”
Something more drastic has changed in the heart of Saul, though he was completely satisfied with the outcome of Stephen’s death by stoning, it shows us in Acts 8:3 that he didn’t go around killing believers. But now in Acts 9:1 it says he is eager to kill the Lord’s followers. The heart of Saul has become much more evil. Maybe he noticed his plan of persecution and imprisonment wasn’t working so he needed to take more drastic measures to rid Jerusalem of all believers.
Acts 9:1b-2…
1b “So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.”
Saul’s jurisdiction would have only been in Jerusalem, so for him to reach out to the high priest to further his search for believers shows us just how adamant he was to rid Israel of “those followers of Jesus.” Damascus wasn’t just the next village over, it was 135 miles from Jerusalem to Damascus. It would’ve taken Saul 7-8 days to walk that distance.
~BUT~
EVERYTHING changed for Saul on his way to Damascus!
Acts 9:3-6…
3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?”
5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
A light from heaven and a voice calling his name. WOW! What a stunning encounter Saul was having with Jesus. Imagine this… Here’s Saul nearing Damascus, his mind is busy with plans of destruction for the believers he’ll find there, but then, suddenly he is stopped in his tracks with a light that is shining down from the heavens, then with a voice coming from that light he hears his name… “Saul, Saul!”
Acts 9:7…
7 “The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one!”
This verse doesn’t say who the men were that accompanied Saul on his mission, but I would guess they were soldiers or Temple guards. These would have been strong, courageous men, but hearing a voice coming out of the sky would have had them trembling and fearful as they stood and watched.
Acts 9:8-9…
8 “Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. 9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.”
I love what the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” says about these three verses (Acts 9:7-9):
- The effect on Saul’s traveling companions of his encounter with Christ was dramatic. Acts 26:14 says that they fell to the ground at the flash of heavenly light. Here we are told that after getting up they “stood there speechless” (Acts 9:7). Evidently they were able to regain a semblance of composure and thus lead Saul into Damascus. For Saul, however, for whom the spoken message was even more traumatic than the light, the experience was overpowering. Physically, as his system reacted to the emotional shock, he became blind for three days, during which time he neither ate nor drank while waiting for further instructions.
When Saul was lead to Damascus he stayed at the home of a man named Judas, while there he prayed and he waited. Now, remember, Saul was part of the Sanhedrin, which was a very powerful, high council of Jewish religious leaders lead by the High Priest. The Sanhedrin was a forum of justice, they had religious, civil and criminal jurisdiction. So that means Saul was a religious man! He prayed to God out of tradition and ceremony! So why did he pursue believers with such vengeance? My guess would be that he was fighting his own convictions. He was doing all he could to squelch his own beliefs, maybe he was deeply afraid that he would find truth in the Gospel message, so… as to not become a believer himself, he turned to shutting down the voice of God by destroying those who followed Jesus.
What do you think Saul was praying? Here he was sitting in an unfamiliar house, he’s blind, I’m sure he was quite frightened because of his encounter with the light and voice of Jesus. All he could do was pray. Was he praying for forgiveness? Was he praying for the revelation of truth?
In the meantime, the Lord spoke to a man name Ananias and asked him to go to Saul and lay hands on him…
Let’s look at how Ananias responded and what happened next! This is so awesome!!
Acts 9:11-19…
11 The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to Me right now. 12 I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.”
13 “But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! 14 And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon Your name.”
15 But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is My chosen instrument to take My message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. 16 And I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. 19 Afterward he ate some food and regained his strength.
The significance of this conversion is overwhelming to me. Many of you may know already, but for those of you who don’t know – Saul of Tarsus in none other than the Apostle Paul!! In Acts 13:9 it says, “Saul, also known as Paul…”
Saul goes on to be one of the most prolific preachers and writers! Verse 9:22 says, “Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.” Knowing that the Apostle Paul was Saul will give you a deeper appreciation for the writings of Paul, his testimony, his influence will become more meaningful because we know Paul’s background. Out of the 27 New Testament books, Paul goes on to write 13 of them (some say 14 if you consider Paul as the author of Hebrews).
Saul would have a lot to overcome. Believers were fearful of him, their trust in him would be very tentative.
Acts 9:26…
26 “When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!”
Galatians 1:8 tells us it was three years before Saul went back to Jerusalem. He had stayed in Damascus preaching in the synagogues. When some of the Jewish leaders were plotting to kill him, he escaped out of Damascus and made his way back to Jerusalem. Saul was brought to the apostles by a man named Barnabas. There Saul told his conversion story and wound up staying with the apostles, they went all around Jerusalem and preached boldly in the name of the Lord (Acts 9:27-28).
So…
If the Lord can reach a man like Saul of Tarsus, he can reach your unsaved loved ones. If you yourself are struggling with the belief of who Jesus Christ is, take it from Saul! He wanted to murder believers! But when the Lord came into his life there was a complete transformation. From being feared to fearing the Lord. From putting down fierce judgment on believers to becoming the most humble of believers. Saul heard his name being called, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?” Maybe you hear your name being called, will you respond to the calling of your name with “Yes, Lord!”
Because of Saul’s conversion there wasn’t the threat of arrest or death from him anymore so in verse 9:31 it says…
31 “The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.”
Let’s also receive the encouragement from the Holy Spirit and spread the Gospel message wherever we go!
Be a Paul, not a Saul. Have the Lord transform your heart!
~AMEN~